"Every Day is a Good Day" by Roshi

That’s the title of this amazing piece of calligraphy by Zen Master Fukushima Roshi — and the fact that it is part of the permanent collection is one reason why The Oglethorpe University Museum of Art http://museum.oglethorpe.edu is a gorgeous little gem of a museum.

From the Dachau Exhibit: by Henri Gogarten

Now, I’m not just saying that because I’m married to the university president.  I’m not even saying it because they’re serving Gray Goose martinis there tonight: $15 gets you entry to the museum + 2 martinis + hors d’ouevres + all the luscious Matisse etchings you can drink in – and that’s got to be the deal of the century.

Inside the Museum

No, I’m nuts about the OU Museum of Art because ever since it opened on the third floor of the Philip Weltner Library in 1993, it has mounted some of the most incredible, varied and original art exhibits imaginable – particularly when you consider that the museum has only 7,000 square feet, a modest budget (very) and a staff of two.

Bank of the Oise at Auvers, by Veron

Dirctor Lloyd Nick (with his very able assistant Betsy Ayers) somehow has managed to bring in three originally conceived and curated exhibits a year that will knock your socks off: Rodin: In His Own Words. Nicholas Roerich: Messenger of Beauty. The Sordid & The Sacred: Beggars in Rembrandt’s Etchings; Mystical Arts of Tibet: Personal Sacred Objects of the Dalai Lama; and Dachau Before Dachau: European Artist Colony, 1860-1914.

"12 From Tibet" -- Poster from recent modern show

Flora Crowned, by Watwood

The motto of the museum is “Knowledge through Beauty” and I would have to say it achieves this brilliantly, through its shows and permanent collection that offer “a meaningful experience for both students and viewers, lifting their spirits and satisfying their souls.”

And that’s even without the Gray Goose.

My $100 today goes to small miracle that is the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art. A perennial place of peace and beauty – with a damn good gift shop. Enjoy!